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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Smoky Salmon and Cream Cheese Dip

A Fun and Easy Snack for Parties and Picnics

New Year’s Eve is almost here. And in a few weeks there will be that big Super Bowl bash. So the quest for party food is on. Snacks, spreads, and dips rule this time of year. And one of the best I know is Smoky Salmon and Cream Cheese Dip.

Salmon and cream cheese make a classic combo. Think lox and bagels with a schmear. Take the salmon and cream cheese, add some smoky notes and a bit of onion or scallion, and you’ve got the makings of a delicious dip. It’s great with your chip of choice — I tend to prefer ridged potato chips (which stand up better to dipping) or tortilla chips. You can also spread it on crackers, or on pieces of that little party rye that supermarkets feature so prominently this time of the year (they always have it in stock, but you see more of it during the holidays).

Once your guests taste this dip, it will disappear quickly. But if by chance you have some left over? Spread it on your morning bagel.

Recipe: Smoky Salmon and Cream Cheese Dip

This recipe probably dates back to the 1950s. We first encountered it 30 or more years ago, when Mrs. Kitchen Riffs was working at her first post-law school job (yes, Mrs K R confesses to being a lawyer). She was clerking for a federal judge, who graciously invited his staff to a party at his home. This dip was one of the appetizers — and it went fast! We begged for the recipe, and have been making it ever since.

We particularly like to whip up a batch on New Year’s Eve. (We also make California Clam Dip every NYE without fail.) There’s something about New Year’s Eve that brings out the “dip diva” in all of us. But the fact that we’ve been making this one seemingly forever tells you something about how tasty it is.

The recipe calls for canned salmon, which usually isn’t smoked. So add some liquid smoke (which is a natural product; see Notes) to get the great smoky flavor that blends so well with cream cheese. Or if you want to splurge, you can substitute smoked salmon from your fish monger’s.

This recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and makes about two cups. Leftovers (packed in an airtight container) keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Serve with your favorite chips, crackers, or party bread.

Peel the onion, or wash scallions and remove root ends. Finely mince about 1 tablespoon of onion or 2 tablespoons of scallions.

Open the canned salmon, drain, and put into a smallish container. Remove the larger bones and cartilage.

Add the canned salmon and cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl (we always use our stand mixer). Add the minced onion or scallions and the liquid smoke.

Beat until well blended — a couple of minutes using a stand mixer, 5 or more if beating by hand.

Taste, and add more onion or liquid smoke if needed. Season with optional salt and/or black pepper. Mix again until blended (maybe a minute).

This dip can be served right away, although it tastes a bit better if you allow the flavors to comingle in the refrigerator for an hour or so. You can sprinkle some chopped scallion on top for garnish, if you wish.

Notes

You don’t actually need to remove the visible bones and cartilage from canned salmon — they’re soft and generally will turn to mush in the mixer. We take out the larger ones just to ensure a smoother dip mixture.

Liquid smoke is made from the condensed smoke of smoldering hardwood (when the hot smoke is chilled, it condenses). The smoke itself is a natural product; there’s nothing artificial about it. The better brands of liquid smoke contain nothing except water and natural smoke concentrate. The cheaper brands? Do read the label; you may be buying things you don’t want. If you’re concerned about the safety of liquid smoke, the Wikipedia Liquid Smoke article has some useful information.

Liquid smoke was first sold commercially in the US in 1895 by Ernest H. Wright. His brand of liquid smoke is still sold today.

This recipe invites add-ins. You might want to consider adding lemon juice (maybe a tablespoon). Or maybe fresh dill or another herb (again, probably a tablespoon), chopped dill pickle (ditto), horseradish (a teaspoon for me), or some cayenne or Tabasco sauce (to taste). Basically anything you think would taste good probably will. I would suggest making the recipe as written the first time, and then experimenting if you want.

Smoky Salmon and Cream Cheese makes a terrific dip or spread. But you might also like to use it as a stuffing for pasta (ravioli or cannelloni) or as a filling in crepes. Or you could pipe it into hollowed out hard-boiled egg halves (to make salmon “deviled eggs”), or bake it in pastry shells and serve it as a hot hors d’oeuvre. You can probably find a lot of uses for this basic recipe.

Party On!

So, are you feverishly making preparations for New Year’s Eve? Or at least feverishly thinking about making preparations? Well, we have some ideas for you.

What about drinks? If you have any Beaujolais Nouveau left, now is the time to drink it. The name means “new Beaujolais,” and that’s exactly what it is: A very young wine, released just weeks after the harvest. Tradition says you should always consume this wine before the end of the year in which it is bottled (though it should still retain its fresh quality a bit longer if you miss that deadline). Another New Year’s Eve favorite is Eggnog. And you can never go wrong with the Classic Champagne Cocktail.

If you’re looking for something a bit stronger, you might try a classic “hard liquor” cocktail, like the Manhattan or the Martini. I’m also partial to the Sidecar.

All that eating and guzzling can make you feel, ahem, indisposed the next day. If you’re looking for a classic hair-of-the-dog remedy, you could try the Corpse Reviver Cocktail (in fact, this little-known drink is worth serving on New Year’s Eve itself). Or if you’re in the market for a more contemporary (and “healthier”) morning drink, you might consider the Bloody Mary — which will be the subject of our first post for 2013.

70 comments:

Talk about scrumptious! I am all for being the first to break family tradition (we do ethnic-faithful meals!) and show up at the party with a dip like this. Very nice! And please let Mrs. KR know we all forgive her for her momentary transgression into law (heh, just kidding!).

Hi Ala, you'll be glad to know it's been years since Mrs K R actually practiced law. ;-) I think your family would forgive your transgression if you showed up with this - such good stuff! Thanks for the comment.

What a fabulous dip, John! Actually, I eat stuff like this for a light lunch so this is right up my alley! I've never worked with liquid smoke before but I am willing to give it a try! And I love your suggestion of shmearing this on a bagel! Now that is good stuff! I hope you had a great holiday season and I wish you and Mrs. Kitchen Riffs the best of everything in the New Year to come! : )

Hi Anne, this would be a really nice lunch! If you like a smokey flavor (usually hickory), you'll like liquid smoke. But a little goes a long way! Thanks for the comment, and I hope your new year is wonderful!

This looks wonderful. I've never had salmon dip, I think I need to fix that asap. I adore salmon. I've even fished for it myself on occasion. My dad was a huge hobby fisherman so we grew up fishing often. Anyhow, I'm rambling now. Happy New Year my friend.

Methinks you are simply not allowed to take us back that far!! Listen: Pimm's and Velveeta [those horrible glasses out of which we all drank wine at the time . . . oops!] belong to a bygone age, don't they? Do believe you should have made this delightfully 'retro'? But the actual recipe is great!! Happy New Year!!!!

Hi Eha, you know, I do kinda sorta recall those Velveeta glasses! I think. ;-) Nothing wrong with retro as long as it's good, and this is good stuff. Maybe we should call it classic instead? ;-) Thanks for the comment, and Happy New Year!

Hmmph . . . obviously I was way 'ahead' of you!!!! Bear with me!! You know the little old lady leaning on a crooked stick . . .? She just may have a few secrets to tell'ya :) ! [May I roar with laughter as I type this?]. Classic - hmmph, perchance - I am almost there on your New Year's Eve' :) } Nah!!!!!

Hi Eha, I'm definitely behind you, that's for sure! Kind of the story of my life, though. ;-) I'd be delighted to hear any secrets or other wisdom you have to pass along — what I don't know is legendary (and if you don't believe me, just ask Mrs K R!). Thanks for the followup. ;-)

This looks so good. It's already New Year's Eve here and funnily enough I have just made some appetizers with salmon and cream cheese which we are eating as I write but quite different from your ones. They will be on my blog maybe tomorrow. Your recipe is one to stash away for the furture.

This is just a tasty blast from my past. My parents did something very similar for parties and it has fallen by the wayside. This is the perfect year for me to incorporate it again. Love using crab in dips. It feels so luxurious. Happy 2013! May it bring you all good things.

Hi Claudia, this recipe, or variations of it, has been around for awhile. ;-) It's great, though, as you know! Crab is also terrific in dips - in fact if you'd substitute crab, you'd basically have a Crab Rangoon dip! (Might want to drop the liquid smoke, however.) Thanks for the comment.

Hi Kristi, liquid smoke seems so wrong somehow - like some sort of chemical monstrosity. And maybe some of the cheap ones are. But the mainstream ones are all natural, and the flavor is excellent. Happy New Year to you, and thanks for commenting.

If a dish is good, I really don't care when it first appeared. The fact that it's still being prepared says something. This salmon dip of yours would definitely go fast in my crowd, as would the clam dip. I'd have to make a little extra and stash it away. Once the last guest has left, it's nice to grab a glass of wine and have a little nosh before the great clean-up begins. Either dip would be perfect. THanks, John, and wishing the "Riffs" Household a very Happy New Year!

I have sent your link to my sister as they smoke their own fresh salmon at home and this recipe rocks. Also if you used veggies as dippers this would be a great low carb option! Wishing you and Mrs. Kitchen Riff a very happy and healthy 2013. Take care, BAM

Thanks for the "heads up" on liquid smoke. I bought some last summer and think it's fantastic.. but now I'm off to read the label!! This is a recipe my son would love, he devours smoked salmon and cream cheese on rye bread.. so this is a sure winner for us!!

I loved this recipe. Smoky salmon and cream cheese is a winning combination and this dip will be great for my family, especially when we watch movies on the weekends! Thanks for posting such wonderful recipes for all of us! Happy new year to you and happy cooking!!

Hi Sawsan, I was surprised to learn that liquid smoke is usually an all-natural product too. It's worth experimenting with - a little bit adds quite a lot of flavor to a recipe. Thanks for the comment.

Hubby and I are dip people, and always love finding fun new dip recipes. This recipe sounds fun, and really full of gorgeous flavor!!! I wonder if we could smoke the salmon and add it in without the liquid smoke....hmmmmm, interesting:-) Thank you for sharing, Take care, Terra

I love this 10 minute quick dip recipe. I've never tried canned salmon (I think) but it's so convenient that I'd consider having one or two can saved up in a pantry for this recipe. We love liquid smoke too. I can almost taste this... my kids are big fan of salmon too, and it'll be popular appetizer for sure.